The present invention relates generally to fixing pockets on garments and more particularly to a method and apparatus of providing a pocket blank and bonding the pocket blank to a provided garment portion.
In the prior art, various techniques have been utilized for affixing a pocket to a portion of a garment. One example of such an application is the sewing of a pocket blank to a front panel of a shirt. This method, of course, necessitates considerable hand labor, which is at increased expense to the producer and to the consumer.
Hot melt film adhesives have been proposed to the garment industry to serve as a substitute for the sewing process. Due to the inability of prior art heat sealing adhesives to withstand both industrial and commercial laundering, as well as professional dry cleaning, the application of such films for adhesives to the garment industry has been of limited utility.
Also, hand labor has been necessitated in the use of such available hot melt strip adhesives, which has not optimally reduced the cost of affixing the pocket.
Based upon these deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art there has been a considerable need for an automated method and apparatus for bonding a pocket blank to a garment portion. Accordingly, it is an object of the method of bonding a pocket blank to a garment portion of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and deficiencies.